Even the backsplash provides a garden view

Sunset, August, 1988

"I wanted to be able to stand at the kitchen sink but feel as if I were in the garden," says Dorothy Hartley"Now I can enjoy the view and also keep an eye on the kids in the pool."

Before, a 3- by 4-foot window framed her only view outside from the kitchen. Architect Sigrid Miller Pollin of Riverside, California, opened the kitchen corner with a wraparound window wall that goes from countertop to ceiling.

First, Pollin strengthened the walls by replacing 4-by-4 headers with sturdy 4by-8s. Next, she framed in two stock wooden window units.

Above and below these, she set panels of 1/4-inch glass. The upper ones are held in place by trim pieces nailed to the tops of the window frames; their tops and sides are sandwiched between gypsum board (indoors) and wood trim (outdoors). Tempered to withstand bumping, the lower panes rest on a bead of silicone sealant in 3/8-inch-wide grooves routed into the granite counter.